UN procurement practitioner handbook

Acknowledgements

This handbook was produced by the Interagency Procurement Working Group (IAPWG). In 2012, the
glossary of terms was updated reflecting the Procurement Network's agreed harmonized definitions for
procurement-related terms. Revision 1.1 (Sep. 2012)
© IAPWG 2006. All rights reserved.


Table of Contents
Preface ..........................................................................................................................................0-1
Chapter 1: Procurement in the UN System of Organizations ......................................................1-1
1.1 The UN System of Organizations ..............................................................................1-2
1.2 UN Procurement as a Tool to Advance UN Policy Goals .........................................1-3
1.3 Guiding Principles ......................................................................................................1-5
1.4 Administrative Framework: Financial Regulations and Rules (FRR) and Procurement
Procedures ........................................................................................................................1-8
1.5 UN Procurement Reform .........................................................................................1-10
1.6 Procurement as a UN Profession ..............................................................................1-13
Chapter 2: Organizational Procurement Strategy.........................................................................2-2
2.1 Responsibilities and Process ......................................................................................2-3
2.2 Reviewing  the  Organization’s  Mandate  and  Strategy ................................................2-4
2.3 Analysing the Procurement Portfolio and Developing a Procurement Profile ..........2-5
2.4  Analysing  the  Organization’s  Procurement  Function  and  Capability ......................2-10
2.5 Identifying Strategic Procurement Objectives .........................................................2-11
2.6  Developing  and  Implementing  the  Organization’s  Procurement  Strategy...............2-12
2.7 Measuring Results ....................................................................................................2-12
Chapter 3: Procurement Process ..................................................................................................3-1
3.1 Operational Procurement Planning ............................................................................3-2
3.2 Requirement Definition ..............................................................................................3-7
3.3 Sourcing ...................................................................................................................3-23

3.4 Selection of a Procurement Strategy ........................................................................3-30
3.5 Preparation and Issuance of Solicitation Documents ...............................................3-42
3.6 Receipt and Opening of Offers.................................................................................3-54
3.7 Evaluation.................................................................................................................3-59
3.8 Contract Review and Award ....................................................................................3-71
3.9 Contract Finalization and Issuance ..........................................................................3-75
3.10 Contract Management ............................................................................................3-90
Chapter 4: Transverse Procurement Themes ...............................................................................4-1
4.1 Risk Management .......................................................................................................4-2
4.2 E-Procurement ..........................................................................................................4-11
4.3 Logistics ...................................................................................................................4-18
4.4 Ethics in Procurement ..............................................................................................4-28
4.5 Sustainable Procurement ..........................................................................................4-41
Chapter 5: References ..................................................................................................................5-1
Annex 1: Overview of the UN System of Organizations .................................................5-2
Annex 2: Status, Basic Rights and Duties of United Nations Staff Members .................5-3
Annex 3: Oath of Office ...................................................................................................5-4
Annex 4: Sample Questionnaire and Assessment Procedures .........................................5-5
References and Further Reading ......................................................................................5-6
Glossary of Procurement Terms .......................................................................................5-8

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Preface
The  UN  Procurement  Practitioner’s  Handbook  has  been  prepared  by  the  “Common  Procurement  

Certification  Scheme  for  the  United  Nations  (UN)”  project  Task  Force  and  Steering  Committee.
The latter is part of the Inter-Agency Procurement Working Group (IAPWG) Training and
Certification Sub Working Group.
This Handbook is based on the following publications and documented practices:
 UN Procurement Competence Baseline
 Common Guidelines for Procurement in the UN System1
 existing procurement manuals among the various UN organizations
 known procurement practices in the UN system of organizations
 third party literature on procurement in the public sector.
Procurement in the UN system is governed by the established regulations and rules of each UN
organization. While such regulations and rules may differ in matters of detail, all organizations
are guided by the Common Guidelines for Procurement. These Common Guidelines cover
procurement stages from sourcing activities that precede a requisition to the execution of a
procurement contract. They do not cover either the details of procurement, logistics or contract
implementation matters that may be particular to each UN organization concerned. In addition to
the  Common  Guidelines  for  Procurement  this  Practitioner’s  Handbook  was  developed.  The  idea  
is to provide a broader picture of the different ways of doing procurement within the UN system.
Therefore the authors consider it a descriptive synopsis of good practices within the UN system
rather than a prescriptive document such as the Common Guidelines or existing UN procurement
manuals.
Disclaimer
This document contains a glossary of procurement-related terms ('Common UN Glossary') which
was developed by the HLCM Procurement Network working group on Harmonization. The
Common UN Glossary2 aims to provide a level of consistency across procurement terms in
common use within the UN System. The Common UN Glossary is intended to assist staff of
organizations within the UN System in navigating the procurement regulations, rules, handbooks
1

See General Business Guide, Annex 1, Common Guidelines for Procurement (www.iapso.org)

2

The basis for the development was the review of 23 individual glossaries of organizations in the UN System as
well as external sources. The glossaries which formed the basis for the Common UN Glossary are: AfDB
Presidential Directive for Procurement of Goods (draft, May 2012), AfDB Presidential Instruction (PI 005/2000)
promulgating the directive on bank internal procurement, Common UN Procurement at the Country Level v1.0, EC
Guidelines for the award of Procurement Contracts within the framework of Humanitarian Aid Actions, FAO MS
502, IFAD Manual Section 331 Procurement Guidelines, ILO Procurement Manual (draft, May 2012), PAHO
Procurement Practitioner Handbook (draft), The United Nations Sustainable Procurement Guide, UN Procurement
Manual Rev 6 March 2010, UN Procurement Practitioner's Handbook Nov 2006 DC, UNCITRAL Model Law on
Procurement of Goods, Construction and Services with Guide to Enactment, UNDP Procurement Manual, UNFPA
Procurement Procedures (draft, May 2012), UNHCR Handbook Chapter 8; Part 7 (UNHCR Supply Manual),
UNHCR Implementing Partners Procurement Guidelines, UNICEF Supply Manual (April 2012), United Nations
Sustainable Procurement Guide, UNOPS Financial Regulations and Rules, UNOPS Procurement Manual (Rev. 4, 1
Sep 2010), UNRWA Procurement Manual 2009, World Bank Corporate Procurement Policies and Procedures
Manual (8th ed), ISM Glossary of Key Supply Management Terms (5th edition, 2009)
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and practices of the various UN organizations and is not intended for use by third parties,
including contractors to organizations within the UN System. Terms defined in the Common UN
Glossary are to be used in the procurement context only as they may have different meanings if
used in another particular context. Until an organization within the UN System adopts the

Common UN Glossary within its operational framework, the original definition of the terms
contained in that organization's rules, regulations, handbooks and practice documents will take
precedence over the definition of the same terms in this Glossary.
Reprinted with permission from the publisher, Institute  for  Supply  Management™,  
ISM Glossary of Key Supply Management Terms, 2009.
As a guidance document, its content is neither binding nor prescriptive in nature.
Purpose
The authors hope that the handbook will serve the following purposes:
 reference material for the Common Procurement Certification Scheme for the UN
 description of the guiding principles which govern UN procurement activities
 overview of the UN procurement cycle, including certain transverse themes like risk
management, sustainable and e-procurement, logistics, and ethics
 basis for development of training material
 basis for further development of UN procurement reform
 basis for further development of UN Common Guidelines to adopt good practices in
procurement.
Target audience
The target audience for the handbook is:
 procurement practitioners in the UN system of organizations
 trainers and facilitators developing UN procurement educational programs
 requisitioners, clients and end-users that are part of the UN procurement process.

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Chapter 1: Procurement in the UN System of Organizations

In this chapter
This chapter covers the following topics:
Topic
See Page
1.1 The UN System of Organizations
1-2
1.2 UN Procurement as a Tool to Advance UN Policy Goals
1-3
1.3 Guiding Principles
1-5
1.4 Administrative Framework: Financial Regulations and Rules (FRR)
1-8
and Procurement Procedures
1.5 UN Procurement Reform
1-10
1.6 Procurement as a UN Profession
1-13

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1.1 The UN System of Organizations
The objective of procurement activities within the UN system is the timely acquisition of goods,
services and works while addressing the following guiding principles:
 the objectives of the UN organizations concerned
 fairness, integrity and transparency, through competition
 economy and effectiveness
 best value for money.
While all organizations of the UN system have agreed on the above guiding principles, their
individual procurement is governed by the established regulations and rules of each organization,
which may differ in matters of detail.
The "UN system of organizations" covers a wide variety of organizational units (centres,
agencies, organizations, commissions, programmes, etc.) with different institutional and
functional structures. The principal organs and subsidiary bodies of the UN Secretariat are
included under the regular budget of the UN, as authorized by the General Assembly. Other
agencies of the UN system, however, have their own regular budgets or are financed solely from
voluntary contributions. These latter two categories, moreover, possess a certain degree of
autonomy (see Annex 1 for an overview of the UN system of organizations).
The organizations within the United Nations system also vary considerably both in size and
activities. While all organizations spend a certain amount of their budget on administrative
procurement to establish and run their offices (office furniture, stationary, etc.), their
procurement activities differ as a result of their mandates and policy goals within the UN system.

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1.2 UN Procurement as a Tool to Advance UN Policy Goals
The Millennium Declaration3 and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 provide a
framework for the broader goals of individual organizations of the UN system. The Millennium
Development Goals are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
Achieve universal primary education.
Promote gender equality and empower women.
Reduce child mortality.
Improve maternal health.
Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.
Ensure environmental sustainability.
Develop a global partnership for development.

Each organization within the UN system has a certain mandate to contribute to achieving the
MDGs. While the UN provides peacekeeping operations in areas affected by war, some
organizations focus on the protection of human rights of children, the development of women,
fight against HIV/AIDS, hunger, etc. and others provide inter-agency procurement and project

services. Each of these individual mandates results in the development of mandate specific
programmes and projects. To implement and realize these programmes and projects the
organizations require specific goods, services and works.
UN procurement is an essential function to achieve these organizational mandates and in some
cases it is seen as a model for developing the capacity of recipient governments. In addition to
efficiently supporting programmes in each of the above areas, procurement can take some of
these goals into consideration in selecting certain goods or services as well as their suppliers. For
example:
 UN organizations may develop policies promoting increased opportunities for priority
categories of suppliers. Such policies vary by organization, but the most frequent ones are to
limit the number of suppliers from any single nation and to provide opportunities to suppliers
from a diverse mix of nations; to provide increased opportunity to offer to suppliers based in
the country/region where the UN implements its projects. In most cases, such policies provide
the respective category of suppliers with greater tendering opportunity, but do not provide any
preference in the evaluation process. Nonetheless, some organizations have adopted procedures
to explicitly provide a margin of preference for some factors, for example paralleling World
Bank guidelines permitting up to 15% price preference for local suppliers.
 UN organizations may seek to support the focus of the MDGs on poverty reduction, gender
equality, women empowerment and child education by stipulating in the solicitation
documents, clauses to this effect and by providing greater representation on shortlists for
suppliers respecting such goals. For example, contract clauses that prohibit child labour.

3
4

Resolution of the UN General Assembly (A/RES/55/2): United Nations Millennium Declaration, 8 September 2000
United Nations Millennium Development Goals on />
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 UN organizations may accept to implement programmes with funds that include constraints on
the origin of suppliers or supplies (e.g. some bilateral tied assistance as well as most
multilateral development loans and grants). Such offers should generally be reviewed to ensure
that the funds can still be managed according to the general procurement principles otherwise
applied, and that the eventual procurement will provide an economic and effective solution to
the requirement for which it has been offered.
The UN actively promotes good governance in Member States, with particular attention to
procurement processes and technical assistance. The UN is aware that it also needs to practice
good governance.

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1.3 Guiding Principles
In the area of procurement, the guiding principles are based on the concept of stewardship.
Stewardship

UN organizations are the stewards of all public funds which have been provided in trust by
peoples and their governments to fulfil the agreed purposes of the UN. A significant proportion
of these funds are used through formal procurement processes, for which there are many
stakeholders – whether as citizens, suppliers or beneficiaries. These stakeholders need to be
assured that the funds are being used correctly.
In the past, when most funds went through regular administrative budgets and were spent on
institutional needs of the organization, procurement accountability was largely the same as
general management accountability. However, as funds are provided for specific purposes
outside the daily administration of the institution itself – humanitarian relief, peacekeeping,
development, etc. – the number of stakeholders has grown and the visibility and scrutiny have
been heightened as the impact of the funds on the daily lives of affected people has greatly
increased.
Procurement officers are the guardians of the integrity of the procurement process. They have to
ensure the funds they have been entrusted with are spent in a professional, correct, fair, timely
and transparent manner (see Chapter 4, 4.4 Ethics for further details).
Guiding Principles
While all organizations have agreed on the following four principles in procurement, sometimes
minor variations in wording exist in describing the principles of the individual organizations.
 promotion of UN objectives
 fairness, integrity and transparency through competition
 economy and effectiveness
 best value for money.
Promotion of UN objectives
The ultimate objective of procurement is to add value to the organization in fulfilling its
mandate, goals and objectives. To a large extent the other three principles contribute to this
overarching principle, but this principle also includes concepts such as:
 maintain the highest image and reputation of the organization through execution of the
procurement process in full conformity with the Financial Regulations and Rules;
 promote the public good as specified in the mandate of the organization.
Fairness, integrity and transparency, through competition

Competition conducted in a fair and transparent manner is the heart of procurement in the UN. In
order for competition to work best, it must guard against collusion and be conducted on the basis
of clear and appropriate regulations, rules and procedures that are applied consistently to all
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potential suppliers. The procurement process should be carried out in a manner that gives all
interested parties, both inside and outside the organization the assurance that the process is fair.
A transparent system has clear rules and mechanisms to ensure compliance with those rules
(unbiased specifications, objective evaluation criteria, standard solicitation documents, equal
information to all parties, confidentiality of offers, etc). Records are open, as appropriate, to
inspection by auditors; unsuccessful suppliers can be briefed on the strengths and weaknesses of
their own offers. Transparency ensures that any deviations from fair and equal treatment are
detected very early, and makes such deviations less likely to occur. It thus protects the integrity
of the process and the interest of the organization.
Economy and effectiveness
Economy  and  effectiveness  means  providing  an  appropriate  solution  to  the  organization’s  need  
with regards to quantity, quality and timeliness at the right price. It also means ensuring that the
overall cost to the organization in conducting the procurement process is minimized in the
interests of the overall budget of the organization. Economy protects the interest of the budget
owner, while effectiveness ensures the interest of the end-user is met.
Best value for money
Best value for money means selecting offers which present the optimum combination of factors

such as appropriate quality, life-cycle costs and other parameters which can include social,
environmental or other strategic objectives which meet the end-user needs. Best value does not
necessarily mean the lowest initial price option, but rather represents the best return on the
investment, taking into consideration the evaluation criteria in the specified solicitation
documents.
Potential conflicts among the guiding principles
While together the principles provide a common framework underlying UN procurement,
individual principles may conflict in some situations, requiring professional and management
experience, and judgement, to achieve the correct balance. Some examples are provided below:
 The  “interest  of  the  organization”  may  be  more  emphasized  than  the  principles  of  competition  
and economy in a particular procurement transaction, for example, during humanitarian
emergencies. In fact, organizations involved in emergency relief are often faced with the
limitations of procedures originally established to control standard office procurement, and
have sought to develop procedures better adapted to unforeseen emergency situations. This
involves overriding some standard processes to enable urgent action. It is essential that steps
taken and reasons for taking them are well documented. Procurement officers should assume
that such decisions are reviewed and audited after the fact, and ensure they will stand up to
scrutiny.
 The interest of the organization may also cause the UN to explicitly consider factors which are
otherwise extraneous to the immediate procurement: geographic distribution, support to small
and medium enterprises, support to women-owned businesses, environmental sustainability,
curbing child labour and production of landmines, etc. This may require additional resources
and effort to qualify potential suppliers.
 UN goals of broadening participation in solicitations, particularly to disadvantaged groups,
may benefit from smaller lots to increase local interest. It may require use of additional

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procurement resources for active market research, including outreach to find appropriate
potential suppliers not previously on the roster, and evaluation of extra offers. This should be
accepted as part of the normal process.
 Open competitive tendering for an international organization may conflict with economical use
of administrative resources and effectiveness of completing solicitations in a reasonable period.
Organizations may address this through short listing procedures, whereby the higher the
expected contract value the larger the number of invitees on the shortlist. In addition,
advertisement of tendering opportunities is done in an open and international manner so to still
be able to address the principle of openness in competition.
 Open competition may conflict with recommended practice of establishing strategic long term
partnerships. The competitive principle is normally understood to argue for placing each
requirement out to tender solicitation, risking disruption when changing suppliers. Some UN
organizations have concluded that their Financial Regulations and Rules (FRR) permit entering
in to long term framework agreements on a non-exclusive basis as the result of a competitive
solicitation. This permits assurance of uninterrupted supply at competitive prices and the
development of a closer quality assurance and working relationship.
 Transparency in UN procurement may require added effort by preparing solicitation documents
with detailed criteria for evaluation and the tender process. Also the fairness and competition
principles require broad advertisement which increase costs and supplier preparation resulting
in transparency and fairness that may go against effectiveness.
Procurement officers and those acting in or supporting the procurement function are in a special
position of trust and must uphold high standards of professionalism to be able to fulfil the above
requirements.

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1.4 Administrative Framework: Financial Regulations and
Rules (FRR) and Procurement Procedures
Introduction
The Financial Regulations and Rules (FRR) of each organization provide the framework for the
administrative context within which procurement is carried out, as specified in its respective
procurement procedures.
The FRR specify key guidelines for procurement, types of procurement instruments and
evaluations, primacy of competitive tendering while recognizing situations in which that may not
be in the best interest of the organization. The FRR vary among organizations, and the nuances
are important for the work in each organization. The FRR provide for delegation of authority to
increase the operational responsiveness of the procurement function, while also requiring
segregation of duties to ensure control, and accountability for the correct (or improper) use of the
authority and resources available.
While the general  principles  are  similar,  FRR  wording  differs  as  do  the  organizations’  
procurement procedures and thresholds for their application. Differences are being reduced
through the UN procurement reform process.
Content of FRR
The FRR and procurement procedures (which some agencies have assembled into procurement
manuals) specify the solicitation procedures for supply of goods, services, or works. They
include appropriate methods for evaluating and selecting awardees and possible contracts. FRR

clearly state the principle of selection through competitive tendering. They also indicate
conditions which might justify waiving the competitive tendering process in favour of direct
contracting where that would be in the interest of the organization, so long as justification is
supported by clear evidence that tendering would not provide an effective solution. FRR may
permit a UN organization to procure on a collaborative basis, i.e. on the basis of solicitations and
arrangements established by another UN organization.
No financial commitment without budget availability
The FRR and procurement procedures stipulate that the procurement process should only begin
once an approved and budgeted requisition has been received. Nonetheless, those organizations
faced with special exigencies in field operations, often tolerate initiation of internal procurement
processes including issuance of solicitations before formal receipt of an approved and budgeted
requisition. In such exceptional circumstances, whenever solicitations are issued in advance of
budget  availability,  potential  suppliers  should  always  be  informed  that  the  solicitation  is  “in  
anticipation”  of  the  requirement,  but  that  procurement  will  only  proceed  when  full  authorization  
has been received. While signature of the eventual contract and corresponding creation of a
financial commitment should clearly wait until receipt of the approved and budgeted requisition,
internal preparation of specifications and solicitation documents could be considered as part of
procurement planning; nonetheless, issuance of the solicitation documents at that early time
requires a specific management decision in all cases.

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Segregation of duties
UN organizations have generally developed an administrative structure based on segregation (or
in some cases separation) of responsibilities for procurement. This structure typically recognises
that the requisitioner, budget controller, buyer and payer should be separate, in order to provide
appropriate organizational checks and balances and to permit specialisation in their respective
professional areas. The main purpose is to reduce the possibility of corruption and to emphasize
accountability of all key players in the procurement process.
Delegation of authority
As specified in their respective FRR, UN organizations have established delegations of authority
to implement procurement activities. Such delegations are intended to reduce administrative
bottlenecks and provide increased responsiveness by locating decision making authority nearer
to the activity. Of relevance to procurement are both the financial and procurement delegations
of authority, although only the procurement delegation is discussed here. The procurement
delegation provides authorisation to award and/or sign a contract and/or issue payment upon
confirmation that the correct procedures have been followed. By exercising the authority, the
staff member becomes accountable for the action and potentially financially liable for error
(misconduct). Delegations are generally made at one of the following levels:
Level
1
2
3
4
5

Delegations  up  to  a  maximum  level…
Of petty expenditure for small purchases.
For which RFQ procedures apply.
Not  requiring  review  by  the  organization’s  Contracts  Review  Committee.
Requiring review by the organization’s  Contracts  Review  Committee.
Of higher financial authority in very large programmes with experienced

staff.

Note: Not all UN organizations use all levels.

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1.5 UN Procurement Reform
Introduction
Procurement at the UN has undergone significant transformation since reforms were initiated in
1999. The main issues taken into consideration as part of the UN procurement reform can be
found in several UN official documents, particularly Resolution A/RES/54/14 of 22 November
1999. The Resolution specifies the direction that procurement reform initiatives need to follow in
order to strengthen the principles of transparency, effectiveness and efficiency while also fully
reflecting the international character of the United Nations.
Reform initiatives
Specific reform initiatives include:
 Increased opportunities to suppliers from developing countries and countries with economies in
transition; wider participation of suppliers from all Member States in general; and
improvement of communication with suppliers; improvement of system for registration of
suppliers.
 More transparent, open, impartial and cost-effective procurement process, based on
competitive tendering.

 Increased use of modern electronic means of communication to disseminate information
regarding requests for proposals, invitations to bid and requests for expression of interest;
 Assurance that bids received through electronic means are not compromised.
 increased transparency of procurement decisions; and maintenance of the principle of
separation of responsibilities of the requisitioning and approving officers.
 Improved use of acquisition planning.
 Enhanced professionalism of procurement practitioners through increased training.
 Improved cooperation and common rules and regulations.
 Increased field support.
 Enhanced accountability through greater delegation of authority.
Working groups
Procurement reform is supported from the highest level, and carried out at both the
organizational and inter-agency level. The following two working groups have been established
to harmonize and streamline procurement practices and to increase efficiency in procurement
throughout the UN system of organizations:
 Inter-Agency Procurement Working Group (IAPWG)
 Common Services Working Group on Procurement.
The IAPWG was established in 1976 and is an informal group of senior procurement officers.
Twenty-six organizations participate in the meetings, including a representative from the

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UN/OLA. The IAPWG leadership mechanism is through a rotational Chair/Vice-Chair. UNDP,
through IAPSO, is the permanent Secretariat of the IAPWG.
The Common Services Working Group on Procurement forms part of the Task Force on
Common Services, chaired by the Assistant Secretary-General for Central Support Services, and
was created within that forum in 1997. Based in New York, its members are the UN Secretariat,
UNDP, UNFPA, UNOPS, UNICEF, WFP and a representative from OLA. Initiatives of the
Working Group are disseminated to Geneva, Copenhagen and Vienna and other offices away
from Headquarters.
Achievements
In addition to strengthened cooperation in procurement among the UN organizations, the
following achievements have been reached:
 Development of Common Guidelines on Procurement (incorporated within the SecretaryGeneral’s  reform initiative into common financial regulations and rules on procurement);
including the adoption of a new procurement principle: best value for money.
 Common financial regulations and rules on procurement (adopted by UNDP, UNFPA and
UN).
 Improved communications; Communities of Practice Network on specific procurement themes
where members exchange procurement information.
 Common training initiatives and agreement on the common training and certification
programme to promote procurement professionalism.
 Establishment of the United Nations Global Marketplace (UNGM) as a common electronic
portal for supplier registration and procurement opportunities, including a simplified common
registration form to all UN entities who are members of the UNGM.
 Mechanism for sharing Long-Term Agreements or system contracts; and provision of
procurement services between the different organizations.
 Enhanced procurement hardware and software systems within UN organizations and in some
cases new joint ERP procurement modules have been implemented.
 UN organizations have embraced the practice of "lead agencies" for certain commodities,
entering into global and local "lead agency" agreements and engaging in "lead agency" supplier
evaluations.

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Benefits
Lead agency cooperation has provided UN organizations with the following benefits:
 improved individual organization's specialisation
 improved discounts based on combined volume
 reduced cost due to economies of scale
 reduced maverick buying
 increased control over the procurement process
 eliminated non value added tasks
 reduced long purchase-to-pay cycle time
 reduced transaction cost; and, increased total procurement.
These and other procurement reform efforts were validated by independent reviews in 2005. In
2006 the Secretary General has ordered a comprehensive review of internal and financial
controls to further identify reform opportunities in procurement.

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1.6 Procurement as a UN Profession
Introduction
Procurement is an internationally recognised profession. It has evolved from a simple buying
function to become recognised as a professional role within the UN as well. Procurement officers
and those acting in, or supporting that function, are in a special position of trust and are held to
high standards of professionalism. Development of professional and ethical competencies of UN
procurement officers is recognised as an important component of the UN procurement reform
process.
Procurement officers operate within a complex environment. They are subject to pressure from
end-users seeking rapid response or a specific technical solution, from suppliers seeking
invitations or contracts, from donor representatives or the public seeking explanation for the use
of the funds, and by anyone who thinks they detect a lack of transparency or other weakness in
the process.
UN common procurement certification programme
The UN Common Procurement Certification Programme was created by several UN
organizations. its aim is to clarify the professional nature of the procurement function, and to
provide the basis for systematic training in technical and procedural knowledge as well as
professional and ethical behaviour for UN procurement officers.
The  Professional  Competencies  and  this  Practitioner’s  Handbook  contain  the  basic  common  
technical and procedural knowledge expected of UN procurement officers, to be complemented
by specific knowledge of regulations, rules and procedures of each organization.
Heightened professionalism of UN procurement officers is the basis for increased delegation of
authority and corresponding accountability that are central to the current UN procurement reform
process. The current training and certification effort is an important element in this, as are the
increased training efforts of each UN organization.

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Chapter 2: Organizational Procurement Strategy
In this chapter
This chapter covers the following topics:
Topic
2.1 Responsibilities and Process
2.2 Reviewing the Organization’s  Mandate  and  Strategy
2.3 Analysing the Procurement Portfolio
2.4  Analysing  the  Organization’s  Procurement  Function  and  Capability
2.5 Identifying Strategic Procurement Objectives
2.6  Developing  and  Implementing  the  Organization’s  Procurement  
Strategy
2.7 Measuring Results

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2-3
2-4
2-5

2-10
2-11
2-12
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2.1 Responsibilities and Process
Introduction
In all UN organizations, procurement has an impact on the overall organizational outcomes and
results. It is therefore good practice to undertake strategic planning of procurement at the
organizational level in order to link procurement activities and priorities to the overall priorities
of the organization. Strategic planning is also important in order to manage the risks and the total
costs involved in procurement, including use of resources.
Responsibility
Development of organizational procurement strategy is normally the responsibility of senior
management of the organization, in particular, the Chief Procurement Officer. However it would
be done in collaboration with other senior management and with the support of procurement and
other officials in undertaking the various analyses. Usually it is in line with the normal
organizational business planning cycle. For most organizations this process is performed on
either an annual or biennial basis.
Process
An organizational procurement strategy is developed through a process of reviewing and
analysing the organization’s:
 mandate, strategic direction and objectives

 procurement portfolio
 procurement function and capability.
On the basis of this review and analysis the strategic procurement objectives for the organization
can be identified and an organizational procurement strategy developed and implemented. The
final stage would be to measure the results to see if the objectives have been achieved. Each
stage in the process is shown in the flow chart below.
Analyse
Organization’s  
Procurement
Portfolio
Review
Organization’s  
Mandate and
Strategy

Identify Strategic
Procurement
Objectives

Develop and
Implement
Procurement
Strategy

Measure
Results

Analyse
Procurement
Function &

Capability

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2.2 Reviewing the Organization’s  Mandate  and  Strategy
The ultimate objective of procurement is to add value to the organization in fulfilling its goals
and objectives. Procurement activities support organizational mandates on a daily basis by
obtaining the necessary inputs for the organization to do its work.
The guiding principle in developing the procurement strategy is to ensure that it is fully aligned
with the overall mandate and strategy of the organization. Therefore, before embarking on the
development of a procurement  strategy,  it  is  important  to  review  the  organization’s  mandate  and  
strategy. The form of the strategy varies from organization to organization and in some cases
may involve reviewing a variety of material and documents including business plans, strategic
communications from senior management and so on.

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2.3 Analysing the Procurement Portfolio and Developing a
Procurement Profile
Introduction
The purpose of analysing the procurement portfolio is to develop a full and comprehensive
picture (procurement profile) of the procurement needs of the organisation. The first step is to
analyse past and projected procurement expenditure or spend for goods, services and works
(spend analysis). The next step is to analyse the difficulty and risk associated with securing these
goods, services and works (risk analysis). The third step is to develop a procurement profile that
identifies past and projected procurement expenditure and associated levels of risk in form of a
matrix. Finally, appropriate strategies can be developed for each of the categories of this
procurement profile.
Spend analysis
The first question to ask when preparing a spend analysis is whether historic spending data is a
good indicator of future spends. To establish this it is necessary to ask various questions such as:
 Were there special events affecting the historic spend that will not be repeated, e.g. a natural
disaster or large scale project that caused a large, but temporary increase in spend?
 Are there anticipated special events that will affect future spend, e.g. a forthcoming large scale
project?
 Are there events happening in the external environment that are likely to affect the spend
profile, e.g. political or economic changes in the programme country or in the behaviour of the
donor community?
 Are there strategic organizational issues that are likely to affect spend, e.g. changes in the
funding profile or in the priorities of the organization?
If, as a result of this analysis the conclusion is the historic spend will provide a reasonably
accurate  prediction  of  future  spend,  the  next  step  is  to  undertake  a  ‘spend  analysis’.
Analysing procurement spend provides data that can be used as a baseline to measure
improvements, but also to provide reliable data for deciding strategies to realize short and long

term savings. Various tools are available to conduct a spend analysis, but normally the first step
is to download data from the financial management system, most usually the Accounts Payable.
Data should include all invoices that have passed through the system within the specified time
period. This data can then be analysed using parameters relevant for the particular organization,
but typical parameters could include:
 spend and number of transactions per commodity or category
 number of suppliers per commodity or category
 average purchase order value
 total expenditure per supplier
 transaction distribution by dollar range (e.g. less than USD 1000, USD 1000 – 2500 etc)
 spending distribution between main clients
 spend and number of transactions per procurement officers

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 number of procurement officers involved in the transaction per commodity group.
Special factors
Where special factors may indicate that the historic spend analysis will not be a good predictor
of future spend, in most circumstances it would still be relevant to conduct a spend analysis and
then adjust the results taking into consideration the special factors.
If there are factors involved that imply that the historic data does not provide any relevance in
predicting future data, then the procurement profile would need to be constructed by analysing as

much data as possible from information on the future strategies, and activities of the organization
such as project plans, budgets and so on.
The resulting procurement profile should provide as comprehensive a picture as possible of the
actual procurement spend including:
 what goods, services and works are purchased and how much is spent on them
 comparison of historic spend on each item with the projected spend
 how the goods, services and works are purchased
 who the goods, services and works are purchased from
 the geographical location of suppliers e.g. local, regional, international.
Risk analysis
Risk analysis should look at the following issues:
 how critical the goods, services or works are to the organization
 The difficulty and risk associated with securing the goods, services and works.
 the risk associated with each commodity or category based on:
 risk specific to the goods, services or works
 organization related risk
 supplier related risk
 market related risk.
When analysing supply risk the following key risk factors need to be analysed for each
commodity or category:
 nature of the supply market
 probability of supply failure
 strategic importance to the organization
 impact on the organization of supply failure
 complexity of the procurement relationship.

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Developing the procurement profile and related strategies
Based on the identified level of risk and the relative expenditure for each commodity or category
of spend, the procurement portfolio can be plotted on a supply procurement matrix as follows:

Goods and
Services

Difficulty
of securing
supply

Relative expenditure

The figure1 below shows the four categories of this procurement profile including the main
characteristics of each of these categories.
3. Difficult to secure supply and low
relative expenditure
High

4. Difficult to secure supply and
high relative expenditure

“Bottleneck  Items”

Supply
Risk
Low

Low

1

1. Easy to secure supply and low
relative expenditure

“Strategic  Products”
2. Easy to secure supply and high
relative expenditure

“Routine  Products”

Low

Relative expenditure ($)

“Leverage  Products”

High

The Purchasing Portfolio, Kraljic, 1983.

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Characteristics of risk level, spend categories and possible strategies
The typical characteristics of each of these categories and possible strategies for dealing with
them are highlighted in the table below:
Category
Routine
(Low risk and
low spend)

Leverage
(Low risk and
high spend)

Bottleneck
(High risk and
low spend)

Typical characteristics
 Usually low value and low volume
items.
 Represent routine procurement
processing.
 Typically represent up to 90% of
the  organization’s  suppliers

 Often the suppliers are small
businesses.
 Transaction costs can be greater
than the value of the items
themselves.
 Generally competitive local supply
markets for these items.
 Commodities commonly used
across the entire organization with
high volume.
 Represent commodities where
there is potential for reduction of
inventory management, handling
and storage costs.
 Mature and competitive supply
markets.
 Markets are served by a few
suppliers with extensive
distribution networks.

Possible strategies
Minimize administrative efforts by:
 Procurement at the lowest
practical level (decentralized).
 Encouraging local suppliers to
view the organization as a
valuable client resulting in lower
transaction costs.
 Focussing ordering and payment
terms with suppliers on

transaction efficiency (direct
debiting, aggregation of orders,
monthly accounts, payment cards,
etc).
Total cost reduction and high
service levels from suppliers by:
 Establishing automated supplier
interfaces to minimize process
related costs for high volume
standard goods;
 Ensuring regular management
information reports on the nature
of this expenditure to keep
strategic focus;
 Establishing long term agreements
to simplify procurement, coupled
with automated paying systems
 Regionalising supply by using
local suppliers that are agents for
centralized arrangements;
 Forming collaborative initiatives
with other organizations to build
leverage, target off-peak periods
in supply markets.
 Highly specialized goods, services Reduce the organization’s  market  
vulnerability and to secure ongoing
or works.
supply by:
 Procurement is often undertaken
 Identifying alternative sources of

by technical experts rather than
supply and/or substitute goods or
procurement professionals.
services.
 Technical specifications are

Holding extra stock where
inappropriately detailed and limit
possible reduces risk.
the supply base.

Developing supplier capabilities
 Often there are only a few potential
and/or changing demand
suppliers
requirements.

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